May Carleton

May Carleton (1895-) was a British horse trainer and the proprietor of Carleton Stud during the early 20th century.

Biography
May Carleton came from a wealthy family, and she married Sir Ian Carelton, who was killed at Ypres during World War I. Now a rich widow, Carleton split Carleton Stud's ownership between herself and her father, and she gained connections from the War Office to the Racing Board. She came to be bored with her straight-laced life, so, in 1921, she attracted Peaky Blinders boss Tommy Shelby's attention by playfully attempting to outbid him on his purchase of a quarter-Arabian horse. She gave Shelby her card, offering to train his horse for him; Shelby agreed, although, when he asked Carleton if she intended to have sex with him, she unconvincingly said that she only cared about the horse. Shelby later headed to her mansion to get a progress report on his horse, and she allowed for Shelby to seduce her. She convinced him to continue having an affair with her even after his old flame Grace Burgess returned, as she said that he could have a gentlemanly relationship with Burgess and a gangster relationship with her. She ensured that the Peaky Blinders gang received bookies' licenses, but Shelby would go on to marry Burgess, and he and Carleton were out of touch for three years. They met again in 1925 when she came to retrieve Shelby's horse for more training.